Mam Tor

The hill's east face is a huge ancient landslide, which is why it earned the name the Shivering Mountain. The slipped ground runs over 1,000 m from the backscarp to its toe, is up to 30 to 40 m thick, and the cliff-like backscarp behind it stands more than 70 m high. The underlying rocks are weak shales, mudstones, siltstones and sandstones, which slump and creep rather than stand firm, and the movement is more than 4,000 years old and still not finished. Ground movement in 1977 forced the old main road below to single-lane traffic, and it was permanently closed in 1979. The broken road is reached by a separate low-level route, not from the summit itself.

• The usual approach starts at Mam Nick car park, on a stone-surfaced footpath with steps and steep sections up to the summit.
• The official circular route from the car park is 4.8 km (3 miles), around 2 hours, graded moderate. Many visitors instead climb to the trig point and turn back, which is a much shorter outing.
• From the summit the path continues north along the Great Ridge toward Lose Hill, roughly 3 km of open ridge walking. You can walk as much or as little of it as you like and return the way you came.
• Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome.
• Terrain includes uneven surfaces, steep routes, steps and stiles, and the ground can be wet and slippery after rain.

• Mam Nick car park is very small and parking is limited. This is the most common frustration here, and at busy times you may need an alternative plan.
• There are no toilet facilities at the estate visitor area.
• The route is popular and can feel busy at peak periods, so this is not a place for solitude on a fine weekend.
• The steps and steep climbs are manageable for many people but are not suitable for everyone; assess your own fitness and footing, especially in wet weather.

Sturdy footwear with grip, warm layers and a windproof jacket, water and snacks, and an offline map if you plan to continue along the ridge rather than returning to the car park.

The summit is also a piece of deep history. It is a protected Scheduled Monument, and the top is ringed by the ditch and rampart of an Iron Age hillfort, still readable as a low bank and hollow underfoot as you walk the crown of the hill. Mam Tor is often translated as Mother Hill.